The Home Office is closing part of the London Passport Office over the summer in an attempt to clear up the massive passports backlog, the Standard has learned
Officials want to shut 20 interview rooms where people must go for face-to-face checks when applying for a first passport.
It mean thousands of Londoners will have to travel are far afield as Maidstone and Luton or even Peterborough for their compulsory half-hour interview.
The aim is to free up staff to deal with passport renewals for holidaymakers and business travellers, which are seen as a higher priority, say sources inside the Home Office.
A Home Office spokesman confirmed that the interview rooms would close temporarily to divert staff on to the busy front counter. Customers will be able to book an appointment in another town by going online but existing appointments in London next week will be honoured.
“We are asking customers who need interviews to travel to other locations,” said the spokesman. “This is a normal process during busy periods.”
But the emergency plan was condemned as a panic measure by Labour’s shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper.
“This shambles just gets worse,” she said. “Londoners face having their passport office shut in their faces just at the time they need it most.
“Theresa May was warned about an increased demand for passports a year ago and did nothing, she was warned about a rise in complaints months ago and did nothing. Now we learn she is partly shutting passport offices to the public.”
The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) said the plan proved the Home Office had cut staff numbers too deeply. “This is just a further example of the kind of measure they are having to rely on because of a chronic shortage of staff across the organisation,” said a union spokesman.
Thousands of holiday makers fear being forced to cancel because of a 500,000 backlog. David Cameron admitted 30,000 had been delayed for over three weeks and Home Secretary Theresa May promised urgent measures to speed them up.
People using the front counter service at the Passport Office to renew their passports will not be affected.
